Queensborough Student Rosa Gonzalez Awarded the 2024 Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Scholarship
Rosa Gonzalez has been awarded the 2024 Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Scholarship in recognition of her dedication to her artistic contribution in the Department of Communication, Theatre & Media Production (CTMP) at Queensborough Community College. The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry.
This award specifically recognized Rosa’s creative activity as Assistant Director for the 2024 spring student production of Stupid F##king Bird, an adaptation of Anton Chekov's The Seagull, written by playwright Aaron Posner.
For the past few years, colleagues at Queensborough in the arts and humanities have collaborated to shine a light on students’ activities such as Rosa’s through undergraduate research as a high-impact practice. This effort came to fruition at Queensborough’s 2023 Spring Student Symposium where Rosa presented a demonstration of her stage management work followed by a roundtable discussion with peers. “We want to lift the veil on the process, to show the inner workings--calling light cues in real time and unpacking for the audience- the how, why, what, and where,” said C. Julian Jiménez, Professor and Chairperson, CTMP.
“Typically, it is STEM students that present undergraduate research while arts and humanities are less represented,” said Heather Huggins, Associate Professor, CTMP who, in 2022, was named the first Arts & Humanities Faculty Coordinator for Undergraduate Research as a High-Impact Practice (UR-HIP). UR-HIP is a part of the goal for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) to support retention and engagement.
A long-time resident of Queens, Rosa is a first-generation college student in her last semester. Over the course of her academic career at Queensborough, she has participated in production during five of her six semesters at Queensborough, attending show rehearsals at night and on weekends while balancing coursework and holding down a job to pay for personal expenses and to help support her family.
Liisa Yonker, Associate Professor and director of several shows, including Stupid F##king Bird, and The Ghost Moments, said, “Rosa’s record of accomplishments is remarkable as it is highly unusual for a student to succeed as a performer, stage manager, and Assistant Director before getting their degree.”
Rosa enrolled at Queensborough in the fall of 2021. In her first semester, she was cast in The Ghost Moments production. “It was stressful to appear in a college production so soon after enrolling but under the direction of my mentors I learned to draw from my own personal experience to empathize with my character.”
“I also learned to switch gears and develop backstage skills in lighting and sound design.” Rosa was given the opportunity to apply her backstage skills when she took on the role of stage manager for the spring 2023 production of Wunderkammer. “Being part of such a creative department has been wonderful for so many reasons, not the least of which are the good friends I have made over time. We have rehearsed together, conducted research together, encouraged each other--these experiences have given me the kind of self-confidence that will carry me through my life.”
Michelle Hayford, author of Undergraduate Research in Theatre advocates that ‘theatre undergraduates need to be acknowledged for their rigorous and original research, and they need to leverage these research skills to confidently enter career paths with marketable skills they have honed as theatre artist scholars.’ These skills include: ‘diverse research methods, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, creative thinking, meeting project deadlines under great pressure, persisting through difficulties, flexible thinking, and dedication to seeing things through.’
Several theatre faculty members completed the UR-HIP training, with some faculty designing course-based research activities to ensure all students are learning about undergraduate research in theatre.
Professor Yonker said, “I want to inspire Rosa’s level of dedication in all my students, balancing what their dreams are with their skill set.”
Rosa also received the CTMP Department’s Excellence in Stage Managing Award, which included an opportunity to serve as Assistant Stage Manager for The Navigator, by Alynda Segarra, a rock musical at The Public Theater’s Joe’s Pub.
Professor Jiménez said, “Students who go through our program learn how to structure a character, hone a craft, and reflect on their progress.”
Queensborough offers a National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) accredited (A.S.) Degree in Theatre. Students choose a concentration in Acting or Technical Theatre, but all students are offered training and experience onstage, backstage, and front-of-house. The program is designed for students intending to transfer upon graduation to a B.A. or B.F.A. degree in Theatre. Every theatre major receives mentorship from a theatre faculty member dedicated to assisting with an appropriate academic plan, progressive artistic development, timely graduation, and successful transfer
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